the world today. that does it for us tonight. we'll see you tomorrow night. thanks for being with us. >> well i am stunned. >> mitt romney, kick him when he's done. >> did you see the sunday shows yesterday? >> hitting their nominee. >> we have to show we're sere serious. we have to like them first.

>> we would never talk like that. >> there's not a lot of people defending mitt romney. >> when you're in a hole, stop digging. he keeps digging. >> newt gingrich, i think it's nuts. >> they have to do something. >> we have the fiscal cliff. >> the cliff. >> the cliff. >> whatever that means exactly. >> whatever you want to talk about it. >> the math doesn't work otherwise. >> i don't think it works. >> how is that going to go over with the tea party? >> paul ryan and others will not win this issue. >> here's a news flash. >> the elections have consequences. >> we just had this election. >> it's already starting 2016. >> we're already talking about 2016. >> marco rubio. >> chris christie is off and run running. >> you have been wearing that fleece a lot. >> i'm going to die in this fleece.

good evening. i'm alex wagner in for lawrence o'donnell. rush limbaugh was at war with the republican party over what mitt romney told top donors on a conference call last week. >> the president's campaign did was focus on certain members of his base coalition, give them extraordinary financial gifts from the government, and then work very aggressively to turn them out to vote. >> tmz reports that mitt and ann romney watched the new "twilight" movie on saturday night, but sunday there was no romance between the republicans and mitt romney. >> we're in a big hole. we're not getting out of it by comments like that. when you're in a hole, stop digging. he keeps digging. >> i reject what he said. if we want people to like us, we have to like them first. >> mitt romney was picking up the theme he put before the country and inadvertently with his 47% video during the came pain. quit despising the american

people. >> rush limbaugh says today that those guys are just mad because they want votes. >> the only reason that i can think that all of these republicans are so upset over my description of this is they want in on the game. they want to play too. we here can insult voter, but we're not trying to get votes. they have already drummed romney out. romney doesn't exist. romney is -- can't believe how mean they are being. he doesn't exist. >> politico reports in order to prevent the rise of another toxic republican senatorial candidate, the incoming chair of the nshl committee has tapped senator ted cruz as a vice chairman for grass roots and outreach. yes, republicans have chosen an anti-gay conspiracy theorist to help sheppard the party's

ambitions. the plan according to party leaders is to employ the tea party star power to help win over activists groups that may be wary and help unify the gop behind a single candidate in crucial senate races. speaking of unity, this is the state of the republican party according to rush limbaugh. >> there is no conservative movement right now, by the way. there's not a conservative movement. and there's not a singular conservative leader in electoral politics. there's not a conservative leader in the media side. there hasn't been for years. what i have always known, i'm the renegade. i'm the outsider. i'm not in this club. so as these guys continue to pick losing candidates and as they continue to run losing campaigns, they need to have the

next losing candidate hire them. and so i'm the guy responsible for republicans losing elections. >> and here is where the gop needs to go according to bill o'riley. >> going forward, the republican party has to change. they have to engage poor people. they have to demonstrate that a healthy economy, based on discipline and robust capitalism, will lift far more people out of poverty than government handouts will. you have to sell that. romney didn't. >> msnbc's krystal ball and ari melber. a republican strategist had the best take away. and he says, if you are a voter and you look at the republican party and the first thing you see is republican leaders dumping all over the guy they spent two years telling us

should be the leader of the country, that doesn't make you feel better about the republican party. >> it's a fair point that e he makes there. it is amazing how quickly as soon as they had anything possible to seize upon, how quickly they threw mitt romney under the bus. but there's a danger here because there was starting to ab real conversation among conservatives about policy changes. now it seems like the default position is we ran a terrible candidate so we lost. so that's the danger here. but it's incredible how quickly they have run away from this guy should be the leader of the free world to this guy is the worst person ever, i can't believe what idiotic things he's saying. >> i think in some ways, it's cathartic for republicans to run over the legacy. but to krystal's point, does the american public see this reprehensible behavior for what it is and demand more? >> i do. i think it's fairly important what parties do to their losing

nominees. the public knows who these people are so unlike ha lot of things that are below the radar, mitt romney is a famous person. you can think back to losing nominees that were taken in and asked to play important roles like a stevenson. wendell wilke, he became an ambassador. that was noted. and then there are people who are famous mostly for being associated with losing ideas like a goldwater. and then people we forget completely like john davis. these are names i had to look up because they are hard to remember. that's bad for a party. and that is what i think we're going e to see happen to mitt romney romney. he didn't stand for enough beforehand. he doesn't stand enough to be associated with a losing set of politics.

the only thing worse for being disliked is being irrelevant and not remembered at all. >> the hope they will change their ways, bobby jindal has been getting positive accolades rained down upon him. but he brought up the notion they need to have better candidates in the senate races. the appointment of ted cruz, a question mark as far as how well that serves the republican party listen to what he said about the indiana and missouri races. >> we don't need to be saying stupid things. we had candidates that said offensive things that not only hurt themselves and lost those senate seats, but it hurt the republican party across the board. >> if you have a problem running crazy people in senate races, why is ted cruz your ambassador? >> the guy who thinks the u.n. is conspiring to eliminate golf courses? that guy? you have to love the logic there.

we have these crazy people that we need to tame and we have this crazy person here. maybe he can talk to the crazy people. it's interesting logic, but to his point there about saying stupid things, saying offensive things, todd akin and richard mourdock, no question, they lost because of the stupid things they said. but they are not the ones who pushed such extreme policies. the whole republican party was pushing 1,100 anti-choice provisions in state legislatures. trying to shut down the government over defunding planned parenthood. so they have a bigger problem than just a couple candidates saying crazy things. >> i also think ted cruz nomination, if you will s a signal that the republican party thinks the tea party agenda is going to be part of the gop moving forward. they need an ambassador to those folks and the dna is still part of the doed. >> i think the tea party is a

strong midterm force. so when the incumbent party does tend to lose, it may be the right short-term positioning. but that goes to your point, which is if the long-term concern is that they run these nominees, and they can't put together a winning coalition and then all they do is turn around and sort of covet the support and the short-term strategy of the tea party and a couple districts, then they are not thinking long-term. >> if there's one ray of hope on what is increasingly a dark cloud, it's the immigration question. on everything else the gop seems to not be going the direction of progress. but the language has been strong enough that maybe something will get done. this is lindsey graham on "meet the press" this weekend. >> self-deportation being pushed hurt our chances. we're in a death spiral because of rhetoric around immigration. and candidate romney and the primary dug the hole deeper. >> a death spiral with his panic

voters. i don't think they can undersell the gravity of the problem they have with hispanics. but how do you reconcile the principles that will continue to move the party forward and a comprehensive immigration policy? >> i think it's going to be tough to do. lindsey graham has been someone who has been pushing immigration reform within the republican party. but to your point, when i was running for congress, we found immigration in my district. it wasn't people's number one issue, but there was very, very high emotion around it. and the other concern from a strategist standpoint, if you allow a path to citizenship, then you have more latino voter who is can vote against you. so that's another major sticking point. >> it will be a numbers game. thank you as always. >> when a lot of people vote, that's been a problem for them. >> that's true. turnout, going to the polls. stop that. thank you to my friends krystal

ball and ari melber. coming up, when voters dismissed paul ryan you might have thought he'd be the last man on earth john boehner would choose to negotiate the fiscal cliff. you would be wrong. and somebody thinks sarah palin is the answer to the republican party's problems in 2016 because she's hot and blue collar. no seriously. thank you, somebody. and president obama joins secretary of state hillary clinton for the last time overseas in an extraordinary place at an extraordinary time. that's all coming up. i always wait until the last minute.

can i still ship a gift in time for christmas? yeah, sure you can. great. where's your gift? uh... whew. [ male announcer ] break from the holiday stress. ship fedex express by december 22nd for christmas delivery.

the voters went for president obama and not paul ryan. so naturally, he's speaker boehner's choice to broker a deal on the fiscal cliff. that's next. and chris christie makes a key stop on the road to the presidency. not iowa, it's "saturday night live."

questions?

anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'. after losing the presidential election on november 6th, republican vice presidential nominee paul ryan went into the woods. there's no better medicine for paul, his brother told "the new york times," than getting out in the fresh air looking for birds. but as in the past when a republican number two has gone hunting, paul ryan appears to have missed the target. he returns to reflect with these thoughts on his electoral thumping. >> does barack obama now have a mandate? >> i don't think so because they

reelected the house republicans. the ideas we talked about, they are popular ideas. >> could you see yourself supporting a plan that raises tax rates? >> i'm not for raising tax rates. >> today "the new york times" reported that speaker john boehner has chosen paul ryan to help strike a deal to avoid big tax increases and spending cuts by the end of the year and bring along fellow republicans. his counterpart, patty murray said, i find it fascinating because his vision was actually on the ballot. and americans decided to go in a different direction. president obama has been speaking out against the paul ryan budget since long before mitt romney was the republican nominee. in fact, the president was speaking out against it even before the republicans in the

house passed the original version. here's president obama in april of 2011. >> there's nothing serious or courageous about this plan. there's nothing serious about a plan that claims to reduce the deficit by spending a trillion dollars on tax cuts for millionaires and billionaires. i don't think there's anything courageous about asking for sacrifice for those who don't have clout on capitol hill. that's not a vision of the america i know. >> and here's the president in april of this year five days after the house republicans passed the ryan budget 2.0. >> this isn't a budget supported by some small dprup in the republican party. this is now the party's governing platform. this is what they are running on. it's a trojan horse. disguised as deficit reduction plans. it's really an attempt to impose a radical vision on our country.

it's thinly failed social darwinism. it's to our entire history as a land of opportunity and upward mobility. >> joining me now are karen finney, former communications director and an msnbc political analyst. karen, if folks want to make a deal on the hill, why is paul ryan even haunting the halls? what is boehner's intel here? >> because john boehner is smart enough to know he needs to keep paul ryan as close to him as possible. remember, you have paul ryan is part of the young guns. so they caused a little mischief the last time we tried this. this is less about having faith in paul ryan's actual ideas and more about politics. and sort of keeping his close,

keeping him engaged, busy doing something so he's not out there making mischief. >> rana, it seems maybe that conservatives are coming to grips with the notion that there may be a tax increase on upper income earners e. i point you to bill crystal saying the unspeakable. let's take a listen. >> there will be a deal by december 31st. i believe republicans will yield on top rates. president obama ran twice and won two elections. he didn't raise rates in 2009. we were in the midst of horrible downturn. they were able to bargain to a deal. i don't think republicans have the lemplg or that it's worth using whatever leverage they have to maintain rates at 35% instead of 37%. i don't think it's economically important enough. then the big deal has to be big tax reform with lower rates.

>> let's hope they do, but they are going to burn bill crystal's tea party card hearing him talk like this. you're off the reservation. >> they don't care that much if a few millionaires pay a bit more in taxes. >> i love the notion that asking them to pay more is going off the reservation. there's some nugget of hope that republicans will come to the table. >> you were starting to hear this even before the election. a lot of republicans are trying to be sensible. they are going to need higher rates and entitlement reform. in order to get the social cohesion you need to do the cutting, you need the upper bracket paying more. the markets think this is going to happen. they have been raising since the talks began. you have seen optimism on the street. but i look and see that the house is filled with arguably more conservative republicans from a lot of districts. districts in which people voted

for president from one party and a congressional level person from another has slunk from 42% to 24%. so in some ways, there's less reason to come across the aisle. i think it's going to be a bumpy ride until the end of december and possibly into january. >> karen, when we talk about bumpy rides, we focus on the republicans. but at the end of the day, the woman that's maybe driving the bus on all this is minority leader nancy pelosi. she hasn't gotten the credit in the ones that passes legislation. this is pelosi who was on absentee this week talking about revenue raisers and the deal. >> would you accept a deal that does not include tax rate increases for the wealthy? we have talked about a possible compromise to cap deductions for high income earners. is that something that's acceptable? >> no. it's far too little money.

and it could be they have said they wanted to be revenue neutral. if it's going to bring in revenue, the president has been very clear that the higher income people have to pay their fair share. >> karen, nancy pelosi wants some revenue raisers. she wants the upper income earners to pay a little more. she has 200 democratic votes in the house and a deal only needs 218 votes to pass. that seems like a lot of leverage. >> she has quite a bit of leverage. it's kind of an untold story of the last congress. a lot of the ways that things got passed was not because boehner was able to get the votes, but pelosi was able to e get some of the democrats to vote for him. the other things to keep in mind, from the polling perspective, president obama is more popular than ever. 58%. majority of americans actually think he's the one that's going to reach across the aisle.

they believe it's going to be the republican's fault. so i think the stakes are pretty high for the republicans despite their rhetoric and the lines in the sand that they are delicate delicately trying to draw. they know that the pressure is on for them to be seen as working with the president to get something done. and i think the stakes are high if they try to be obstructionists. >> the other thing that's emerged is the notion of the fiscal cliff maybe not actually being more akin to a curb. the more that that is undermined, the better it is for the president. he can sail the country over it until his purposes are served. >> possibly. it depends on how long though. if you're talking about going a couple weeks into january with serious negotiations underway in an effort to sort of reset and have a discussion be, okay, taxes are now up. let's talk about lowering them on the middle class as opposed to having the conversation about

raising them on the rich, then that becomes an easier bargaining position in some ways for both parties. but if we're talking negotiations where the end is nowhere in sight for months and months, no. we'd be talking a recession. >> rana, the last thing any of us want is negotiations where there's no end in sight. we shall see. karen finney, rana, thank you for joining me tonight. coming up, obama care faces one more hurdle. the heap of republican governors who want to stop it. and speaking of republican governors or ex-governors, guess who is already getting one conservative backing for 2016. yes, america, sarah palin is back. when you take a closer look... ...at the best schools in the world... ...you see they all have something very interesting in common. they have teachers... ...with a deeper knowledge of their subjects. as a result, their students achieve at a higher level.

let's develop more stars in education. let's invest in our teachers... ...so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. boproductivity up, costs down, thtime to market reduced... those are good things. upstairs, they will see fantasy. not fantasy... logistics. ups came in, analyzed our supply chain, inventory systems... ups? ups. not fantasy? who would have thought? i did. we did, bob. we did. got it. i honestly loved smoking, and i honestly didn't think i would ever quit. [ male announcer ] along with support, chantix is proven to help people quit smoking. it reduces the urge to smoke. it put me at ease that you could smoke on the first week.

[ male announcer ] some people had changes in behavior, thinking or mood, hostility, agitation, depressed mood and suicidal thoughts or actions while taking or after stopping chantix. if you notice any of these stop taking chantix and call your doctor right away. tell your doctor about any history of depression or other mental health problems, which could get worse while taking chantix. don't take chantix if you've had a serious allergic or skin reaction to it. if you develop these stop taking chantix and see your doctor right away as some can be life-threatening. if you have a history of heart or blood vessel problems, tell your doctor if you have new or worse symptoms. get medical help right away if you have symptoms of a heart attack. use caution when driving or operating machinery. common side effects include nausea, trouble sleeping and unusual dreams. with chantix and with the support system it worked. it worked for me. [ male announcer ] ask your doctor if chantix is right for you.

president obama's trip to burma. that's coming up next. and new jersey governor chris christie can check off one of the requirements for a successful presidential run. the snl appearance. that's next. i don't spend money on gasoline. i am probably going to the gas station about once a month. last time i was at a gas station was about...i would say... two months ago. i very rarely put gas in my chevy volt.

i go to the gas station such a small amount that i forget how to put gas in my car. [ male announcer ] and it's not just these owners giving the volt high praise. volt received the j.d. power and associates appeal award two years in a row. ♪ (child screaming underwater)... (underwater noises). who have used androgel 1%, there's big news. presenting androgel 1.62%. both are used to treat men with low testosterone. androgel 1.62%

is from the makers of the number one prescribed testosterone replacement therapy. it raises your testosterone levels, and... is concentrated, so you could use less gel. and with androgel 1.62%, you can save on your monthly prescription. [ male announcer ] dosing and application sites between these products differ. women and children should avoid contact with application sites. discontinue androgel and call your doctor if you see unexpected signs of early puberty in a child, or, signs in a woman which may include changes in body hair or a large increase in acne, possibly due to accidental exposure. men with breast cancer or who have or might have prostate cancer, and women who are, or may become pregnant or are breast feeding should not use androgel. serious side effects include worsening of an enlarged prostate, possible increased risk of prostate cancer, lower sperm count, swelling of ankles, feet, or body, enlarged or painful breasts, problems breathing during sleep, and blood clots in the legs. tell your doctor about your medical conditions and medications, especially insulin, corticosteroids, or medicines to decrease blood clotting. talk to your doctor today about androgel 1.62%

so you can use less gel. log on now to androgeloffer.com and you could pay as little as ten dollars a month for androgel 1.62%. what are you waiting for? this is big news. if i could, i'd like to thank some people. i'd like to thank the red cross. also to my wife who put up with a husband who smelled like a wet fleece for the past three weeks. >> you have been wearing that fleece a lot. >> it's basically fused to my skin at this point. >> i wear the suits over the fleece. i'm going to die in this fleece. >> in the spotlight tonight, republicans making moves with

with an eye on, wait for it, 2016. new jersey governor chris christie is getting a lot of love from comedy on both sides of the aisle for his "snl" appearance. >> how is cleanup going? >> so far so good. this isn't going to be done in a couple days. fortunately, new jerseyens are known for their patience. >> they are? >> yes, they are. i get it. screaming at people at gas stations is a new jersey tradition. but you don't do it during a crisis. there will be plenty of time for yelling when this is all over. >> also out in force, louisiana governor bobby jindal who has been pedaling as fast as humanly possible to put distance between him and the crazy members of the republican party. >> we don't need to be saying stupid things.

we don't need to change principles, but we can be respectful. >> keeping a lower profile, as in not being all over the television set all the time was senator marco rubio. he went to 2016's first caucus state of iowa on saturday to speak at a birthday fundraiser for the republican governor. and to try to fill the void in the hearts of iowa republicans. one prominent iowa republican said from an iowan's perspective it was like a rebound date. get back up on the horse and start looking to the future for something better. there's no one that feels bad for mitt romney. he did not disappoint bringing with him red meat and even a dog whistle or two. >> if the america declines that the power of our example is dimmed, what takes its place? the answer is nothing takes its place. and your children and grandchildren will inherit not just a diminished country,

they'll inherit a diminished world. what's at stake here is not just our country, but life on this planet. and what that means is we need to do a better job convincing our fellow americans. the free enterprise is the best way forward for them. >> but perhaps the most absurd 2016 republican headline so far comes to us from weekly standard writer charlotte allen. the headline, hey gop, take the palin cure, she's hot, she's blue collar, she's electable. hardly anyone could be more blue collar than palin. a war against women, not only is she a woman, she's got a single mom daughter, bristol.

gay marriage? palin opposes it. looks count in politics and palin at age 48 has it all over her possible competition including hillary clinton who will be 69 by election day 2016. men love sarah palin and she loves men. joining me now, two men, hugo lindgren and jonathan capehart. jonathan, my friend, i must start with had this notion, this notion that sarah palin may somehow reenter center stage because she's hot and blue collar. >> no, no, please, for the love of god, no. talking about 2016 when 2012 is only two weeks old is crazy. but the idea that sarah palin could run for president in 2016 is absolutely ridiculous.

the opinion piece that you read from is also ridiculous. and nowhere in the piece does it it talk about the fact that sarah palin, after 2008 when she had the opportunity to disappear, study, do all the hard work it takes to be leader in her party, study up on foreign policy, study up on nest domestic policy and come out of the gate running at full speed to run in 2012 to be the leader of her party and grab the nomination, what did she do? none of that. she decided to become a reality tv star, do all sorts of things that made her very, very famous, very, very rich, but incredibly unelectable. her approval rating, let's focus on the disapproval rating, which is in the high 50s. >> i think it might be in the high 200s at this point. i will say, never mind qualifications, let's focus on looks and who is prettier on the stump.

moving along, hugo. as long as we're talking about far, far off. >> let's talk about chris christie. >> before that, let's talk of marco rubio. he of the gloom and doom. when you mention life on this planet, i feel like you're sending the wrong message. >> the diminished world is like a frightening speck tor. i think marco rubio is trying to be the nice guy overall. he's not even digging at romney. he's trying to be a little sweet to the republican establishment and also just trying to be like all around a good guy. to see him go to iowa and break out with the diminished world, we're all screwed, it was just a little -- >> or that the free market will stake care of this planet in distress. >> it could. >> jonathan, you're effortlessly elegant, and i would assume you're a regular reader of "gentleman's quarterly." he made a few headlines.

mario rubio is a member of the commerce, science and transportation e committee. how old do you think the earth is? he begins with maybe one of my favorite lines, i'm not a scientist, man. the age of the universe has zero to do with how our economy is going to grow. there are multiple theories on how the universe was created and this is a country where people should have the opportunity to teach them all. whether the earth was created in seven days or seven eras, i'm not sure we'll be able to answer that. this is a man that sits on the commerce, science and transportation committee in the u.s. congress. >> i'm speechless. i'm without words. what do you say to that? somewhat what do you say to someone who is an elected member of congress, who is a potential presidential nominee, someone

who could be president of the united states and he's speaking this way? the republican party, maybe that plays well to the republican party base, but in no way is that a winning message for the vast middle of the country who wants someone who is a little more with it in terms of science. >> and that's a very good point. we talk about the fallout the republicans have had on certain issues. whether that's women's health or immigration, another piece of that is science. the fact that many people were turned off by the gop by their strict of facts and figures. >> i think what marco rubio is trying to say, and i don't want to speculate too far, but this is the not the core issue. he's trying to get back to the economy and the republicans perceived strength and not try to get on the issue of creationism. >> never mind the fact that

scientists say the earth is 45 billion years old. >> he was trying to change the subject. i'm not a scientist. >> if someone is going to be the the savior of this party, perhaps he's wearing a fleece or perhaps he's not. >> finally, chris christie. >> i know you wanted to talk about him. our thinking that chris christie may be a nominee. he remains a long shot. let's look at the hurdles. assuming the party does go to the middle, he may not be the the one to carry the banner. it seems impossible now, but voters are fickle lovers. >> what you see with christie in a lot of the stuff since the hurricane, he seems at ease with himself. it's not about policies, it's about who the person is. in the last few weeks, we have seen somebody who is unafraid to speak his mind and be clear about things. it's refreshing in that regard. there's a long way to 2016.

we'll see a few other sides of chris christie between now and then. i think we'll see what the whole story is. >> jonathan, you're wearing a pocket square. can this country elect a man with a fleece stapled to his skin? >> chris christie is comfortable in his own skin. he knows who he is. and that's something mitt romney could never get across to anyone. >> i can't picture you in a fleece. we'll leave it there. thank you both for joining me tonight. coming up, republicans look to the states to stop obama care. and what president obama's visit to burma represents to that country and the world and what it says about his own personal history. that's coming up. o improve our schools... ... what should we invest in? maybe new buildings? what about updated equipment? they can help, but recent research shows...

... nothing transforms schools like investing in advanced teacher education. let's build a strong foundation. let's invest in our teachers so they can inspire our students. let's solve this. when you give a child a toy, it has to work. ♪ make just one someone happy and when it's a toys for tots child, well, what could be more important?

so this year, every hasbro toy donated to toys for tots will be powered by duracell. happy holidays. duracell with duralock. trusted everywhere. the last hope for republicans who hate obama care? governors. and their efforts to put as many

road blocks in place to stop it. that's next. and later, what the election of barack obama has meant to the world and to an emerging democracy half way around the planet. or that printing in color had to cost a fortune. nobody said an all-in-one had to be bulky. or that you had to print from your desk. at least, nobody said it to us. introducing the business smart inkjet all-in-one series from brother. easy to use. it's the ultimate combination of speed, small size, and low-cost printing. sfx- "sounds of african drum and flute" look who's back. again? it's embarrassing it's embarrassing! we can see you carl. we can totally see you. come on you're better than this...all that prowling around. yeah, you're the king of the jungle. have you thought about going vegan carl? hahaha!! you know folks who save hundreds of dollars by

switching to geico sure are happy. how happy are they jimmy? happier than antelope with night-vision goggles. nice! get happy. get geico. fifteen minutes could save you fifteen percent or more. he loves risk. but whether he's climbing everest, scuba diving the great barrier reef with sharks, or jumping into the market, he goes with people he trusts, which is why he trades with a company that doesn't nickel and dime him with hidden fees. so he can worry about other things, like what the market is doing and being ready, no matter what happens, which isn't rocket science. it's just common sense, from td ameritrade. the affordable care act may be the law of the land, but that hasn't stopped some from trying to block it any way they know how. governor mary fallin joined a group of governors opting out after a health insurance exchange program.

the exchange program would give workers a way to buy their own affordable health insurance. now the task of setting up the exchanges will fall to the federal government, a cost that opponents of the law will weaken the president's program. in her statement today, she said, the choice has been forced on the people of oklahoma by the obama administration. it does not benefit oklahoma taxpayers to actively support a new program that will ultimately be under the control of the federal government. the governor announced that oklahoma will join seven other states in opting out of the medicaid expansion portion of the affordable care act set to begin in 2014. in june the supreme court ruled that the medicaid expansion should be an option, not a requirement, for states. nationwide would extend coverage to 17 million uninsured americans at little cost to the states. in fact for the first three years, they will cover 100% of the cost for new enrollees.

joining me e is senior editor for the new republic. this is a great mystery to me, but why are republican states opting out of a federal tax break? >> well, you know, the critics of the affordable care act really wanted to take the law off the books all together. but they ended up one vote short in the supreme court and 60-something electoral votes on election day. so they can't take the law off the books. they can't repeal it. so they are trying the next best thing which is to get governors to undermine the law. it was written to give states flexibility. maybe the needs of a state like arkansas are a little different than the needs of a state like massachusetts. well, fine. so they created a law where governors have authority over what the law will look like in those states. what you're seeing is the conservatives exploiting that, take taking advantage of that, to basically say, look, we're

just not going to implement this law at all. and so the rest of the country might benefit from obama care. people in all the other states are going to get health insurance, but a state like oklahoma where they have 600,000 people who have no health insurance in oklahoma, most of them would get health insurance under the affordable care act and the governor is saying, no, the citizens of my state are not going to get that help. >> you bring up a good point, which is in most of the states where governors are rejecting it, it could benefit greatly. here are the rates for those opting out. texas has a rate of 25.5% uninsured. georgia, 22%. louisiana, 22%. florida, 21%. this is a fifth of the public here doesn't have health insurance. so i guess in terms of how this plays out in the state house, i wonder if governors hold on to their seats once they reject something that would have a

considerable human benefit. >> it will have a huge human benefit. it's not just the people who get health insurance. you know, there are hospitals in these states. today when people have no health insurance, they show up at the hospital and the hospitals have to treat them. and that cost at the hospital will bare it and pass it on to everyone else in the community. hospitals are looking at this and saying this is money that could help stabilize our finances so we don't have to charge everybody else so much money. i wouldn't be surprised if over the next few months, as the election is now passed, you hear more and more from hospitals if places like texas and oklahoma knocking on the door of the legislature saying, hey, what are you guys doing? this is a great deal for us. why are you turning away this money? we are going to have to make up the difference. >> the public seems to be shifting. the percentage of americans who want it repealed is down to 33%. given that shifting tide of

public opinion, what do you think governors who have yet to make a decision on some parts of the act including chris christie, rick scott, jan brewer, what do you predict they will do in the coming months? >> you know, i think we're going to start to see the governors back away from the rhetoric. there was a lot of objection to the affordable care act because its fate was settled. if you were a governor, why not play it and reject the law. but now we know the law is going to stay. you'll see them start to back off. just the other day, rick scott of florida, who was one of the best known, most outspoken opponents of the affordable care act, he said maybe we can see how we can make this work. eventually most of the states will come along. but it could take some time. until then, millions of people need health insurance and who could get health insurance. we have the money, we have the

law. all we're asking is for legislators to say yes. >> a purity test that should not be taken lightly. it's easier to say yes than no. jonathan, thank you for joining me tonight. coming up the president and his secretary of state take their final international trip together and visit a place where hope and change are just beginning to take hold. into their work,

their name on the door, and their heart into their community. small business saturday is a day to show our support. a day to shop at stores owned by our friends and neighbors. and do our part for the businesses that do so much for us. on november 24th, let's get out and shop small. [ ding! ] ...and spend time on the slopes. take alka-seltzer plus cold & cough... [ buzz! ] ...and spend time on the chair. for non-drowsy 6-symptom cold & flu relief. take dayquil. use nyquil d... [ ding! ] ...and get longer nighttime cough relief. use alka-seltzer plus night cold & flu... [ coughs ] [ buzz! ]

[ screams ] ...and you could find yourself... honey? ...on the couch. nyquil d. 50% longer cough and stuffy nose relief. anyone have occasional constipation, diarrhea, gas, bloating? yeah. one phillips' colon health probiotic cap each day helps defend against these digestive issues with three strains of good bacteria. approved! [ phillips' lady ] live the regular life. phillips'.

for a man who is better at stage craft than almost any leader in u.s. history, this morning president obama chose burma as the backdrop to remind this country and the rest of the world about what america stands for. he did it in his bare feet. burma has been sealed off for nearly half a century. in the interim, a brutal military dictatorship has slaughtered its own and eliminated almost every basic freedom. but change has tom coburma. the release of prisoners and the

gradual restoration of basic rights. less than two weeks after his triumphant reelection on what will be his last trip with secretary of state hillary clinton, president obama explained why he was there. >> above all, i came here because of america's belief in human dignity. over the last several decades, our two countries became strangers, but today i can tell you that we always remain hopeful about the people of this country. about you. you gave us hope and we bore witness to your courage. >> early this morning, air force one landed on the tarmac in ran goon, the heart and soul of the country and the seat of the pro-democracy movement. as the plane touched down, the fake capital constructed in the north of the country.

having drawn leaders to the city they once abandoned, when president obama met with his burmese counterpart, from repression earned her the nobel peace prize. >> the united states has been studentive in their support of burma and we are confident that this support will continue through the difficult years that lie ahead. i say difficult because the most difficult time in any transition is when we think that success is in sight. then we have to be careful we are not veered by a mirage of success and that we are working to stimulate success for the people and our friendship between our two countries. >> for the people who waited for her to be released from 15 years of house arrest, this was an unimaginable moment. two nobel laureates, charting the course from war to peace.

>> so today i have come to keep my promise and extend the hand of friendship. america now has an ambassador in ran goon, sanctions have been eased, and we will help rebuild an economy that will serve as an engine of growth for the world. but this remarkable journey has just begun and has much further to go. reforms launched from the top of society must meet the aspirations of citizens who form its foundation. the flickers of progress that we have seen must not be extinguished, they must be strengthened. they must become a shining north star for all this nation's people. >> for the thousands of students and nurses and cap drivers who took to the sidewalks to catch a glimpse of the motorcade of the very first u.s. president to ever set foot inside their country, it was most stunning to

see america's commander-in-chief at the pagoda, one of the holiest places in the world. it sent monks into the streets, demanding an end to violence. it was an impromptu visit and like every other worshipper, president obama went shoeless, walking in the same steps that countless hundreds had walked before him. for the president's kenyan grandfather who served in burma under the british, there would have no way to foresee a future where his gs might take the change that elected him president of the united states and bring that spirit of redemption back to the very same place where he had served so many years ago. or that few hours later, burmese president thein sein would say i want to do what you've been talking about, i want to move